Last night I finished up my master composter course. Now all I have to do is complete the 30 hours of volunteer service and I'll be an "official" URI master composter.
Now that I feel a bit more educated in the matter, I hope to start my own home compost heap. And at the same time, I'll be writing more about composting here. I'll start by discussing the benefits of composting.
Keep in mind, the benefits of composting (the process) are different from the benefits of compost (the end result of the process). I'll write about the specific benefits of compost later.
1. Composting reduces the waste stream significantly.
The pie graph shows the composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2003, according to the EPA. Most all yard trimmings (12.1%), food scraps (11.7%), paper (35.2%), and wood (5.8%) can be composted. Think of how much less stuff we'd be sending to the landfill if we composted instead of hauling everything to the curb! When combined with recycling, we can really reduce the amount that we landfill each year.
2. Composting saves your money on garden improvements. Improving the quality of your soil is the the number one thing that you can do to increase the health and productivity of your garden. You can do this without buying chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. if you use compost. Granted, it's hard for a single home to produce enough compost for all of it's gardening needs (even though a little bit of compost goes a long way). But still, you can save money on commercial soil amendments.
3. Composting is educational. If you have kids, this is a great way to give them a hands-on education in the science principles that they hear about in school. (Even if you don't have kids, you'll learn something yourself!) Kids love to stick their hands in the compost and see all the organisms like snails and worms at work. They'll learn about the principles of natural decomposition and can see how the balance between oxygen, water, carbon & nitrogen affects the process. And it's interesting to see how a pile changes from a heap of leaves and food scraps to compost over time.
4. Composting is natural. There are no chemicals involved; it's a completely natural process. There is ZERO guilt about composting…for people who always feel guilty about their ecological impact, this is a GREAT thing.
Did I convince you to start your own compost heap yet?! If not, come back tomorrow–I'll write about the specific benefits of compost for your garden and yard.
Photo courtesy of Paul Larson
Pie graph courtesy of EPA